Widening waistlines across Dubbo and the central west are a sign of the unsustainable times we're living in, dietitian and Charles Sturt University academic Dr Penny Small says.
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"We now live in a society where we have all of these triggers to over eat plus we have less time than ever before to exercise and be active, and we have all these labour-saving devices, so we have the perfect storm where we are living in a situation that is unsustainable on many fronts and obesity and overweight is just another of these," she told the Daily Liberal.
"This is just another symptom of the modern world we're living in that is unsustainable and I think our lifestyles are unsustainable as well."
Data from surveys and published research has consistently shown about 70 per cent of Dubbo residents are overweight or obese.
"It is not any one person's fault that they are overweight but we do need to see it as our own individual responsibility to come together with our communities and other stakeholders [to improve health]," Dr Small said.
"If we don't do it for ourselves we should be doing it for our kids because if you have two parents that are overweight you are way more likely to have an overweight child."
The number of people suffering sleep apnoea, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes had increased as obesity rates had risen, Dr Small said.
"You would never see a young child with type 2 diabetes due to being overweight and now it is a much more regular occurrence," she said.
"There was a time when liver disease was only seen in alcoholics and now it's very common."
Dr Small's list of 10 tips to be healthy
- Leverage daylight saving take an evening walk after dinner.
- Make an appointment to see an allied health professional, such as an exercise physiologist or dietitian, to help you get started with an individualised lifestyle program.
- Cut out between-meals snacks and replace them with a piece of fruit if you're hungry.
- Ring the Get Health NSW coaching line for a health coach - it's free.
- Sign up to your local Parkrun you can always walk before you run around this track.
- Know your weight-related risk factors -waist circumference, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose levels.
- Take a break and go alcohol free and make it a month of "No-vember".
- Use your lunchtime for a real break and walk around the block.
- Find new ways to add vegetables to your diet and Try for 5!
- Ask your GP to weigh you each time you come in for an appointment for increased accountability.
